Method of decorating articles of tableware



Feb. 14, 1961 R. M. FITZGERALD METHOD OF DECORATING ARTICLES OFTABLEWARE Filed Feb. 21, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. A 0 mz/v MF/rzam/iw Feb. 14, 1961 R. M. FITZGERALD METHOD OF DECORATING ARTICLESOF TABLEWARE Filed Feb. 21, 1957 4 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR.

Feb. 14, 1961 R. M. FITZGERALD 2,971,860

METHOD OF DECORATING ARTICLES 0F TABLEWARE Filed Feb. 21, 1957 4Sheets-Sheet 3 cfazlrtgaszsa, g M

jiga INVENTOR. /?0 YDE/V ,44. firzazzmm E? MW War/19 Feb. 14, 1961 R. M.FITZGERALD METHOD OF DECORATING ARTICLES 0F TABLEWARE Filed Feb. 21,1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 D 5 m N E 5 I V 3 3 N H I r 7.

I fo 2 & w 2 a 5 |||I| 2:; i e l I I F w w 5. 5 2 43 2 V 3 4 0 I. "W K w5 5 3 Z @M m AK a m a M H i M M United States Patent 3 METHOD OFDECORATING ARTICLES OF TABLEWARE Royden M. Fitzgerald, Solvay, N.Y.,assignor to Onondaga Pottery Company, Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation ofNew York Filed Feb. 21, 1957, Ser. No. 641,544

3 Claims. (Cl. 117-45) This invention relates to a new and improvedmethod of decorating flatware, such as plates, dishes and the like, togive a particularly new and pleasing design to such flatware.

Primarily, the method consists of supporting the flatware on a turntableand depositing a quantity of two color materials in the center of apiece of flatware and rotating the turn table on which the piece of wareis supported to distribute the color materials over the upper surface ofthe piece of ware by centrifugal force. The two colors may contain thesame vehicles and be deposited simultaneously on the piece of flatwareand when so deposited and the piece of ware is rotated, a mottled efiectis produced.

The colors may contain immiscible vehicles, such as water and lacquer,and be deposited successively, the ware being spun after the deposit ofeach color. For example, a color material containing a water vehicle isdeposited in the center of the piece of ware on the turntable, the warespun, then a second color material is deposited containing a lacquervehicle and the ware again spun. These vehicles being immiscible, thelacquer color is spread over the surface of the piece of ware in theform of radial lines giving a particularly pleasing decoration to thepiece of ware.

As a final step whether the colors contain the same or immisciblevehicles, a portion of the colors may be removed from a portion of theware. For example, after the final spinning of the ware the coloring inthe center portion may be removed leaving only the rim or edge of theware decorated.

The. advantages of decorating ware by my method are that the decorationis particularly pleasing and distinctive from any possible form of handdecoration, the color materials are applied evenly and uniformly overthe surface of the ware, and the application of the color materials isconsiderably cheaper than could be achieved by any possible type ofattempted hand decoration.

Oil base colors are used of necessity for the application of decorationto tableware, as by printing and lining. With the use of oil basecolors, it is necessary to permit the pieces of ware to set or dry for along period of time, often of several days duration, before the ware isglazed and fired. Otherwise, the oil base color bubbles and forms holesthrough the glaze. By my method, water and lacquer base colors are usedwhich do not require any drying time between the application of thecolor and the time the piece of ware normally reaches the glazingdepartment, and these color materials do not bubble, or form any holes,in the glaze, whereby the piece of ware decorated by my method is ofsuperior quality and can be produced at a much higher production rate.

The apparatus described hereinafter is disclosed solely for the purposeof illustrating the steps in my new and improved method of decoratingflatware.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the 2,971,860Patented Feb. 14, 1961 Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a partial cross-section of the jack carrying the colordispenser.

Figure 5 is an elevation of one of the color dispensers shown partly insection.

With reference to Figure 1, the letter B indicates a bench structurehaving cross members 10, 11 and 12, and a top surface 13. A shaft 14 isjournalled vertically in a bearing member 15 mounted on the cross member12, and a bearing member 16 mounted on the bench top 13 and has afiixedto its upper end a tum-table T for supporting dishes. Rotation of theshaft 14 is effected by a motor. 17 mounted on the cross members 10, 11,the connection being effected by a belt 20.

A pair of dispenser units D are mounted for movement individually intoand out of registration with the axis of the turn-table T, and arepositioned above the turn-table. Each dispenser is provided with adispensing valve which, when opened and when the dispenser is positionedabove a piece of ware on the turn-table T, discharges an amount of colormaterial onto the center of the piece of ware.

The dispensers D are mounted on the ends of supporting arms 22, thesearms being supported by structure for adjusting the arms vertically.

A pair of shafts 24 are mounted in foot members 25 affixed to the tabletop 13 and each of the shafts 24 has mounted at its upper end a crankmember 26 having a handle 27, the crank members 26 being restrainedagainst vertical movement by a shouldered screw 28 threading into theupper ends of the shafts 24. Each crank member 26 has fixedly secured toit a depending sleeve 30 threaded internally at its lower end forconnection with an elongated tubular member 31 mounted for axialmovement on the shafts 24. Each tubular member 31 is providedintermediate its ends with a fixed collar 34 secured to a cross member35, as by screws 36.

The lower ends of the tubular members 31 are threaded to receive a nut37 which serves as an adjustable collar to support sleeves 40 rotatablymounted on the lower end of the tubular members 31 and provided withbushings 41. The sleeves 40 are fixedly secured to the arms 22 carryingthe dispenser units D. A washer 42 is interposed between each arm 22 andthe under side of the cross member 35.

With this arrangement, when the upper sleeves 30 are rotated by thecrank members 26, the tubular members 31 are adjusted vertically on theshafts 24 and the cross member 35 and the dispenser arms 22 move withthe sleeves 31.

The cross member 35 is provided with rearwardly extending brackets 44,45, and the arms 22 are formed with rearwardly extending projections 46.A cylinder and piston structure 48 is connected to the rearwardlyextending portion 46 of one of the arms 22 and to the brace 45. Asimilar piston and cylinder structure 50 is secured at one end to thebrace 44, and at its opposite end to the rearwardly extending part 46 ofthe other dispenser arm 22. These piston and cylinder structures may beemployed to effect swinging movement of the arms 22 about the shafts 24to move the dispensers D over the turn-table T for the discharge ofcolored material onto the pieces of ware positioned on the tum-table.The brackets 44, 45, are provided with adjustable stop. screws 52 toeffect registration of dispensers with the pieces of ware, and the endsof the cross member 35 has depending pins 56 engageable by the arms 22to limit the outward movement of the dispenser units.

Each dispenser unit D has a conical shaped bottom 60 to which is securedan internally threaded collar 61 to receive a cylindrical member 62.having a discharge aperture 63. A valve stem 64 is suitably guided inthe dispenser and has affixed to its lower end a valve 65, theperipheral portion of which overlaps the marginal surface about theaperture 63 and 'is yieldingly held in such position by a compressionspring 66 interposed between the valve 65 and a shoulder 68 formed onthe member 61, see Figure 5. 1 The upper ends of the stems 64 areprovided with nuts 70 between which there is received one end of a bar71 which is pivotally mounted in between its ends on a pin 72 carried bya bracket 73 mounted on the arms 22. The opposite ends of the bars 71are connected to solenoids 74 also carried by the arms 22. When thesolenoids 74 are energized, the valve stems .64 are elevated to permitdischarge of the color material through the aperture 63.

The'arms 22 may be manually swung into and out of registration with theturn-table, or the movement of the arms may be effected by the cylinderand piston structures 48, 50, previously referred to. A cabinet 75 issupported by a pair of angle iron brackets 76 extending upwardly fromthe bench top 13 and timer elements 77, 78, 79, may be'mounted in thecabinet 75. Also, a control cabinet 80 may be mounted on the front sideof the bench structure in which switches 84, 85, 86, may

be mounted, and a main switch 87.

Members 62, Figure 5, having difierent size apertures 63 may be attachedto the dispensers, and the timers 77, 79, so adjusted relative to thesize of the aperture 63 as to. dispense the desired amount of coloredmaterial on 'a piece of ware. The quantity of material is controlled bythe length of time the respective solenoids 74 are energized. The timer77 may control the length of time one dispensing valve is opened, andthe timer 79 controls the other valve. A timer 78 may be employed todetermine the length of time that the spindle motor isenergized, theswitches 84, 85, 86, being employed to initiate the functioning of eachcolor dispenser and the spindle motor 17 If the cylinders 48, 50 areused to effect movement of the arms 22, double throw switches 90, e en pvedv o op rate. soleno d l g no shown, to control the flow of fluid tothe cylinders.

The apparatus herein described is particularly adapted to the efiicientcarrying out of my method although it is onlyby way of illustration, asother specific forms of apparatus could be employed, or the coloringmaterial couldv be measured and deposited on the ware by hand.

What I claim is:

1. The method of applying color decoration to articles of tableware,such as plates, the steps consisting in successively applying two liquiddecorative materials of different color and having the same vehicle tothe center of a piece of ware and then rotating the piece of ware abouta vertical axis to spread the color materials over the surface of theware.

2. The method of applying decoration to articles of tableware, such asplates, the improvement consisting in applying a predetermined quantityof liquid decorative material to the center of a piece of ware, rotatingthe ware about a vertical axis to spread the decorative mate rial overthe surface of the wane, applying a second liquid decorative material ofdifferent color and containing a vehicle immiscible with the vehicle ofsaid first decorative material to the center of the ware, rotating thepiece of ware to spread said second decorative material over the surfaceof the ware, and removing said decorative materials from a portion ofthe surface of the ware.

3. The method of applying decoration to articles of tableware, such asplates and the like, comprising the steps of applying a first liquiddecorative material to the center of the ware; spinning the ware tospread said firstdecorative material over the surface of the ware bycentrifugal force, applying a second liquid decorative material'ofdifierent color and having a vehicle immiscible with the vehicle of thefirst decorative material, and spinning the ware to spread the seconddecorative material over the surface of the ware before the firstdecorative material is dry.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

2. THE METHOD OF APPLYING DECORATION TO ARTICLES OF TABLEWARE, SUCH ASPLATES, THE IMPRIVEMENT CONSISTING IN APPLYING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITYOF LIQUID DECORATIVE MATERIAL TO THE CENTER OF A PIECE OF WARE, ROTATINGTHE WARE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS TO SPREAD THE DECORATIVE MATERIAL OVERTHE SURFACE OF THE WARE, APPLYING A SECOND LIQUID DECORATIVE MATERIAL OFDIFFERENT COLOR AND CONTAINING A VEHICLE IMMICIBLE WITH THE VEHICLE OFSAID FIRST DECORATIVE MATERIAL TO THE CENTER OF THE WARE, ROTATING THEPIECE OF WARE TO SPREAD SAID SECOND DECORATIVE MATERIAL OVER THE SURFACEOF THE WARE, AND REMOVING SAID